Hello from the other side
by Natecchi
Summary: He was finally back, to his homeland after ten long years. The single thought of seeing everyone again made his heart warm. The thought of seeing him again made his heart jump and flutter in his chest. Aomine Daiki always had a special place in Kagami Taiga's life.


Inspired by Adele's song "Hello"

And yeah, it's G-rated! omgomgomg no swearing or anything like omgomgomg I can't believe that

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A gray sky looked back at him as he raised his gaze up. Snowflakes danced in the afternoon air of a cold day of December, landing on the equally cold earth, making a beautiful white blanket. A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched the scenery out of the train window.

A voice called his station name through speakers and he got up, grabbing his luggage and stepping out of the train as that stopped. Cold air hit his nostrils and he inhaled, the fresh air filling his lungs. Exhaling softly, he grinned and raised his scarf to cover his mouth. A fist balled and was shoved into a warmed pocket while the other hand grabbed the bag and lifted it off ground.

He walked through the animated streets of Tokyo, his thoughts drifting to particular memories. Unhurriedly, he passed by a familiar street court and his genuine grin like of a child's, was back on his chapped lips. Images of his young self filled his mind, but with those in his mind slipped images of _them_ , facing off in a fierce battle like they always did.

A nostalgic feeling crept up in his heart and he teared his eyes from the old basketball court and made his way to his old apartment.

He was finally back, to his homeland after ten long years. The single thought of seeing everyone again made his heart warm. The thought of seeing _him_ again made his heart jump and flutter in his chest.

He climbed the stairs of the apartment building at a slow pace, feeling the exhaustion hitting his body. He stopped at his floor and walked up to a familiar door. He fumbled a bit with the keys, fixing the strap of his bag on the shoulder. Unlocking the door, he was greeted by a dusty smell and he sneezed.

Chuckling lowly, he let the bag drop on the floor and closed the door behind himself, flicking the lights on. Taking off his shoes and coat, he made his way into the living room. The dark room had this welcoming atmosphere and it made him smile, murmuring softly "I'm home."

A moment later, he sneezed again and laughed out loud. Perhaps, before other important things he had to clean up the apartment and to make it livable again. It will take him some time, but he was ready for that. He was ready to start all over again.

The next two days were spent by him doing laundry, cleaning and cooking. He felt like being a teenager again. When he finally finished, his body was exhausted like an old man's though. He plopped down on the comfy couch, put his mug with hot chocolate on the table in front of him and flipped through TV channels. He thought that he definitely liked these domestic moments. The single missing thing in his current state was his significant other, who will cuddle up to him and pepper his cheek with gentle kisses.

He brought his fingers up, slightly touching his cheek. Ruby eyes closed and he imagined – no, remembered, the feeling of soft warm lips lingering on his skin, hot breath ghosting on it, the way it tickled when _he_ puffed behind his ear. He opened his eyes and a sad smile crept up his face. His chest tightened and he exhaled sharply to calm down.

It was his fault. That he had to return back to America, that they had to break up, that he stopped calling. He thought that it was stupid to pretend to be friends after all the things that happened between them. Plus, _he_ seemed pretty angry back then, so he assumed it's better to stop before they start hating each other.

But now, he understood that he wasn't able to hate that arrogant bastard, no matter how much he wanted to. He wasn't able to forget him either.

Aomine Daiki always had a special place in Kagami Taiga's life.

If someone told him that the first love wasn't an once-in-a-lifetime thing, he would snort amused.

Because, even after ten years, it was still here, in his heart, warming his hollow chest and hurting it at the same time. Kagami knew he did hurt him, he hurt both of them, but he still had a small sparkle of hope in those ruby eyes.

Kagami rubbed a tired hand over his face and nestled down deeper into the soft cushions, letting a satisfied sigh escape his lips. He just had to try calling Aomine. Just to hear his voice. Did it change over these years? Probably yes.

He grabbed the phone from the table and flipped it open. Eyes scanned the list of contacts and stopped at _his_ name. With shaking fingers, he pressed the call button before he could back down, all of insecurities being thrown out of window in that moment. He was known for his straightforwardness after all. There was no use to wait too much time anyway, because it won't change anything.

Kagami hoped that Aomine didn't change his contacts over these years, and that he'll still be able to reach him. He sighed with relief when the sound of dialing tone echoed through the speaker. He waited patiently for other to pick up, rubbing his sweaty palm over his pants.

He waited, waited and waited, but there was no response, just hollow, cold sounds of dialing tone on the other end. Aomine wasn't picking up for some reason.

Kagami canceled the current call and called again. And again, and again. But in the end, he received nothing but a ringing sound in his head and a dull ache in his chest. Just how much of a fool he was? What was he seriously expecting? That he will just call after ten years, and Aomine will run back into his arms? He was pathetic, and his hope was pathetic as well.

He let the phone drop beside himself on the couch. His trembling fingers reached the mug and he brought it to his lips, taking a sip. It was delicious. Aomine liked hot chocolate in cold days like these.

A stray tear made its way down the sun-kissed cheek and landed in the mug beneath. Kagami wiped his face with the back of his hand and chuckled humorlessly. He was a grown-up man, for God's sake.

He just had to distract himself. And meeting his old friends was a very good option. Nobody knew he was back in Japan after all, so he had to call them up.

Setting up a meeting with Kuroko and Kise at a restaurant was easier than he thought. Both seemed to be surprised and genuinely happy to hear their old friend, gladly accepting his invitation. Kagami was kind of taken aback when he heard Kise responding Kuroko's phone though. It was a bit awkward at first, but they told him that they were together for several years already, so there wasn't anything to be awkward about.

Kagami smiled at the news. He remembered Kise following Kuroko like a puppy back then, in their high school years, but never thought their relationship would progress in this way. It was kind of a surprise for him, a good surprise. He was happy for them.

They settled for Saturday's evening and Kagami had almost a whole week to spend doing different things. Firstly, he went and bought necessary things for household and did grocery shopping to fill his fridge for next week. He had enough money to live at least a year without worrying much, but he will have to look for a job eventually.

Having two degrees made things much easier, so Kagami didn't lose time and spent the remaining three days searching for a job and going to interviews. It was kind of surprising how fast he got accepted into a chef's position at a nearby restaurant. At first, he wanted to apply as a firefighter, this being his main profession, but decided that he'd risked his life enough amount of times back in America, so a calmer job would do the thing. Plus, he really enjoyed cooking and making people happy with his cooking. Call him a softie or a sap, and he'd gladly admit it.

Even if he tried to occupy his mind with other things – important things – somehow his mind wandered back to Aomine from time to time, especially at night, when he laid in his too big bed and stared blankly at the white ceiling for hours.

Every time he closed his eyes, vivid images of Aomine smiling, pouting, laughing, or just doing silly things, popped in his mind, making him smile sadly and clutch at his chest to ease the pain even for a tiny bit.

After that first time, Kagami tried countless times to contact Aomine, earning nothing but the cold dialing tone in response. Eventually, he stopped trying.

The weekend came after and the meeting with Kuroko and Kise was something he'd remember for a long time. The way Kise squawked when he saw Kagami and the way Kagami jumped when Kuroko appeared out of nowhere, made the three men laugh with joy like there were no barriers between them, like those years passed by in a blink of an eye.

They talked about everything and nothing in particular, the topics of their conversations going from daily life to important things which happened to them in these ten years. Kuroko was a kindergarten teacher while Kise kept his modeling job. The story of them getting together was told as well, much to Kise's desperate tries to keep his fiancé's mouth shut. Yeah, Kise proposed a year ago and now they worked hard to gather the necessary money to travel to States, to legalize their relationship. Kagami found this idea amazing and promised to be their best man.

Their discussion somehow wandered to Generation of Miracles and their current lives. Aomine was brought up some times as well, but except for the thing that he was a police officer, Kise and Kuroko didn't know anything, because they didn't really keep in touch. The last time they actually talked with Aomine being six years ago.

They seemed to observe Kagami's disappointed look and smiled at him genuinely.

"Do you still love him, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko spoke softly, making Kagami slightly blush as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

"I guess so." Kagami answered, avoiding the curious eyes of his friends.

Kise laughed, slapping lightly his shoulder "Then go, Kagamicchi! Make him fall for you all over again!"

Kuroko nodded firmly at his former light and it made Kagami smile back at his friends.

"I'll do my best."

They bade farewell and Kagami walked home feeling his chest lighten a bit. He pulled out his phone and tried to call Aomine again. The familiar dialing tone ringed in his ear and he stepped aside, leaning on a building and watching people pass by.

A ringing phone and a cursing voice across the street made Kagami raise his eyes up, only to see no one else than Aomine Daiki in flesh, fumbling with his cellphone with one hand while the other one held a smaller one. A child, about five years old, held onto his hand and worriedly looked up at her dad as that frowned at his phone.

"Who keeps calling me? I'm fed up, I'll pick up. Wait a bit, princess."

Kagami watched dumbfounded the scene for few seconds before ending the call and dropping his phone back in the pocket of his coat. He smiled as Aomine cursed when his phone stopped ringing suddenly. He shifted a bit on his spot before pocketing his phone as well, taking the small hand in his once more.

Aomine absentmindedly looked across street and navy eyes widened in recognition. He was seeing things or that was Kagami Taiga in flesh, smiling as always like an idiot.

However, just as he blinked, there was no trace of Kagami in his line of sight. His breath caught in his throat as he stretched his hand towards the crowd that seemed to swallow Kagami. Was he even real to begin with? A small voice snapped him back to reality though.

"Papa, what is it?" his daughter looked up at him with that concerned look of hers.

Aomine smiled and crouched down in front of her, ruffling her blue locks "Nothing, princess. Let's go home."

In the meantime, Kagami walked briskly into a small alley and leaned his suddenly exhausted body on the nearest wall. Soon his legs gave in and he slid down to the cold ground. He buried his face in his shaking hands. A strangled sob escaped his lips as he fought back the tears which threatened to fall any moment.

"I'm such a fool…" he mumbled into the air of a cold December night.

What made him think that he had a chance to begin with? Aomine looked happy and probably had a family, their past surely was long forgotten by the bluenette. Kagami was the only one who suffered over what happened years ago. It didn't seem to tear Aomine apart, not anymore at least.


End file.
